Teppanyaki @ Aeon Maluri

I can still remember when teppanyaki first arrived on our shores (was that in the 80's or 90's?), its popularity was off the charts!  I think it was called Mr Teppanyaki with its inaugural branch in Sungei Wang Plaza. Droves of people would visit and the restaurant would always be filled to the brim.  Although teppanyaki is a style of Japanese cuisine, the ones we have here is more of a localised version.

A Mr Teppanyaki plate was instantly recognisable then by its lightly grilled meat of choice sandwiched between sauteed vegetables on one side and rice on the other, topped with the all familiar crispy garlic chips (which makes us want to say...more please!) and cubes of salty-sweet preserved radish (choy poh) on one corner of the plate.

The chefs manning the open cook stations would put on quite a show when they cook by tossing their steel spatulas in the air.  What is it about the sound of clanking steel spatulas, coupled with the showmanship of the chefs, and watching your food cooked right in front of you that delight diners to make a beeline for seats where the action is! ;)

At the height of their success and popularity, there were so many branches (that you can't keep count) but a few decades later, most of them had closed.  I'm not sure if there are any original Mr Teppanyaki branches left though I've seen quite a few that call themselves Teppanyaki.  Not sure if they're the same ones (as Mr Teppanyaki) with just a change of name (to Teppanyaki) or they're copycats.

Either way, teppanyaki is still a well sought after meal that appeals to many as it's a complete meal with rice, meat and vegetables....and that's exactly what we wanted when we stopped by Teppanyaki @ Aeon Maluri located in Aeon's Food Harbour (the food court itself).

I ordered the Sirloin Steak Set @ RM28 (there's also an option for thinly sliced beef @ RM26) as beef has always been my first choice when it comes to teppanyaki though I like seafood just as much too.

The steak set offers a thicker cut beef which gives it more of a bite.  The beef chunks were sufficiently tender but not super tender due to the quality of beef you get with the price which I thought was fair.  At the end of the cooking, the beef is doused in their special sauce which is some kind of brown sauce with hints of garlic and black pepper.  The sauce was very likeable (and this was the differentiation coz most of the other teppanyaki restaurants don't come with any sauce).

Common to all teppanyaki sets is their signature accompaniment of sauteed vegetables and that all-important crispy fried garlic chips (which I always want more of but too shy to ask!).

The Squid Set @ RM26 offers basically the same thing except you get squid (instead of beef) and the squid seems to have been cooked with onions, carrots and green bell peppers in a similar sauce.  I didn't taste this but the squid looks decently fresh.

The sauteed vegetables of cabbage and bean sprouts complete the dish.  I always enjoy seeing the vegetables being stir-fried on a flat top iron grill and, depending on the cook, sometimes you get them a little crunchier in texture and sometimes you get them a little limp when they're cooked longer.

All the sets come standard with a bowl of rice and miso soup.....

...with condiments of kimchi and chilli sauce and fresh watermelon cubes to end the meal.  I liked the chilli sauce.  This place is obviously doing alright seeing that they withstood the pandemic and is still going strong from the looks of it.

This was the Seafood & Meat Combo Set @ RM34 from before the pandemic...lol.  I found it in my archive of photos and thought I'd show it to you just to let you know how much the price has increased.  It's now RM48 on their menu.....that's how much the price went up...by 40%! O_o

This combo came with (two) prawns, dory fish and sirloin (you can also opt for chicken drumstick).  The only two differences I detected were the inclusion of a green vegetable (choy sum which I prefer) and the sauce tasted more like black pepper sauce then (I think the sauce is much better now, much more balanced and less peppery).  Besides these, they also offer chicken, lamb, prawns, mushroom, salmon (RM30) and dory (even dory costs RM25 which goes to show how much fish cost these days).

If you're seated at the action counter, they actually serve the meat/seafood and vegetables on a piece of foil paper placed at the edge of the teppanyaki grill.  Eating off the cook top I feel is not so ideal in current circumstances, so do make a request if you want it served on a plate.

My Personal Opinion

Even though the taste wasn't wow, a simple meal of protein, carbs and veggie is a balanced meal that appeal to many rice seekers as it's rather similar to a chap fan meal or a siu chow (one-dish) rice meal that many of us eat on a daily basis...although this one is obviously on a higher price point.

But you do get to see the theatrics of the meal cooked right in front of you (minus the spatula throwing these days...lol!)....and I find that rather enjoyable (it's quite fun to watch them cook fried rice on a flat top).  And the best thing is you get to eat it piping hot right after it's cooked.

The difference is this one comes with their special house-made sauce (which some other teppanyaki eateries usually don't offer) but I do remember eating one with sauce too at Express Teppan-Yaki in Pavilion's Food Republic.  Many Malaysians like to eat their rice with some kind of kuah (sauce) and if there's some sambal or chilli sauce to go with that, lagi (even) better! :D  We have quite a few sushi joints in my taman but no teppanyaki eateries...I wish someone would open one in my neighbourhood. ^_~

Teppanyaki @ Aeon Maluri

Level 1 Food Harbour

Aeon Taman Maluri Shopping Centre

Jalan Jejaka

55100 Kuala Lumpur